Written by Colleen FitzPatrick (News Writer)
President Trump has been under fire recently for suggesting that scientists should test whether disinfectants, such as bleach, could be injected inside the human body to fight the coronavirus. He claimed that he had said sarcastically, however spurred doctors to state that ingesting or injecting disinfectants are highly toxic towards humans and can lead to death.
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute,” Trump told the press during a coronavirus press briefing. “And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets inside the lungs and does a tremendous number on the lungs so it would be interesting to check that.” When asked about the statement during a bill signing in the Oval Office to expand upon this, Trump responded that it was not intended as a serious suggestion.
Although Trump gave no indication that the initial remarks were a real recommendation or not, the way that he worded it had doctors and health workers everywhere panicking
“My concern is that people will die. People will think that this is a good idea,” Craig Spencer, the director of global health in emergency medicine at New York-Presbyterian /Columbia University Medical Center, told the Washington Post.
“This is not willy-nilly, off-the-cuff, maybe-this-will-work advice. This is dangerous.”
In a statement on April 24th, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended that Trump had said Americans should consult with their doctors about treatment. She did not clarify whether the president had been joking or not. I asked a fellow classmate what their opinions were on Trump saying Americans should inject / ingest Lysol. They responded with, “It was a very silly statement, considering that he is a very influential man and he should know that people who are scared will trust him and would actually inject themselves with Lysol.”
The Claw 